1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multipurpose apparatus for processing liquid suspended materials and more particularly to an apparatus adapted to cool, wash and drain liquid from a friable material such as cottage cheese curd, and to subsequently blend a liquid additive into the drained curd material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the production of cottage cheese, skim milk is cultured or subjected to direct acidification in a double wall vat, usually 3600 gallons in capacity, until curd and liquid whey are formed. The curd is then cut into 1/4" to 3/4" cubes and cooked to firm it and to expel the whey. The whey is drained from the hot curd which is then washed several times with water to cool it and to remove residual whey. Following cooling, the water is drained, a creaming mixture is added and blended into the curd.
These various process steps are carried out in separate expensive pieces of processing apparatus requiring the curd to be transported from one apparatus to another. To transport the curd, it is suspended in a transporting liquid such as whey or whey and cooling water and first pumped to a whey drainer which drains the whey and then adds additional cooling and wash water thereto. The suspension of curd, water and residual whey is then pumped to a separate washer/cooler apparatus which removes the residual whey and water and further cools and washes the curd by adding fresh cooling and wash water. The suspension of curd and fresh water is then pumped to a curd drainer apparatus which drains off the water; and the drained curd is finally passed into a creamer apparatus where a cream dressing is blended into the curd.
The use of individual apparatus is very costly from a capital equipment investment and maintenance standpoint. Further, cottage cheese curd is very fragile and it has long been known that handling causes it to degrade into powder-like fines which suspend in the transporting liquid and flow away with the cooling and wash water. Degradation is known to be highly undesirable for several reasons. First, degradation causes a significant percentage of the curd to be lost. Second, it has become environmentally unacceptable and even unlawful in some jurisdictions to discharge curd fines into the sewage system. Where laws forbid the discharge of such fines into the sewage system, processors truck the wash water and fines into the country where it is distributed over large land areas at high cost. Therefore, handling reduces the amount of finished cottage cheese available for sale and creates fines which are costly to dispose of.
Even though the disadvantages and high costs of using individual pieces of processing equipment have been long known, the prior art does not disclose a simple processing apparatus which is capable of performing multiple processing functions in an efficient manner to reduce costs and minimize the need for pumping a suspension of curd in a transporting liquid to several individual pieces of processing apparatus.